Reflections in a Muddy Puddle

So! HQ has been all atwitter since the officers received letters inviting them to come and see the GS and SDGS about their jobs. Meetings were to be set up and everyone is to be interviewed, much fevered speculation which then blew itself out smartish when no meetings were set up! However, they are underway now and methinks there will be rumour and speculation abounding as people hope that the worst will befall their sworn enemies. [Actually, I'm making that up, don't think we have many 'sworn enemies' amongst the officers but it sounded more thrilling].

The content of the meetings are confidential, so not for revealing on a public blog site. (Tee-hee!!) Its the first time I've ever had a formal meeting with the two most senior officers together and it was actually quite scary. However, its smart to see this as an opportunity for just that reason. One colleague  is so keen to have his interview he may be sending the wrong signals. He has no other motive than he hasn't had an opportunity to talk to the GS in about 2 years but genuinely I think the senior officers don't understand that need, sometimes. If you are an industrial officer it is just nice to have your presence and your work acknowledged by the central leadership as there is a feeling that because we are at the sharp end and not dealing with the day to day intrigue (we wish) of the union, we simply don't count. Saying hello to the GS on the platform at Conference doesn't quite deliver the same as a 1-2-1 chat about you, your job and the union's future.

It's an interesting time. I don't believe that there is any reason why we cannot go on being a stand alone union for many years to come. Our finances are controllable and under pretty good control now, thanks to the SDGS. We may need courage to take some decisions and perhaps slaughter a few sacred cows/bulls - no need to be gender specific - but as long as we show that courage, we should be fine for the medium to long term. Sometimes I doubt our ability to take those decisions, or sometimes that we will take them and then immediately take another one that will undermine the right decision! Of course there are those amongst us who want to merge and fancy themselves as a big fish in a bigger pond. Naturally they over-rate their own importance hugely and it is usually those so nakedly ambitious who go onto be politically murdered at the hands of the much less niave and more streetwise in the larger union. May be worth it just for that, come to think of it..........only joking, honest!

You will be glad to know I am off on holiday tomorrow. My partner is finally on the mend although only in the last few days, so fingers crossed he's alright while we are away. It's a risk worth taking though, as we both would have been gutted by not getting away. I know I need to sleep for several days on end! Only down side is I have to leave my cat in the hands of her personal au pair. I would do like any other normal cat owner and put her in a  cattery but this is no normal cat and once she'd been in one they'd never have her back. Vicious little beggar that she is. Likes her home comforts and is prepared to fight to ensure she is left with her own personal staff to look after her while we are away.

While I am on the subject of personal staff, can't thank Angela enough. Easily the person who has consistently cared about both of us the most over the last few weeks. Don't know where she gets the time, energy or inclination but we are both very grateful. Threatening us with her presence ensured we recovered more quickly so that wasn't necessary lol. Love you loads xxxx

BTW, she took great exception to the idea that she didn't 'get' equality. Still, you can't make all the people happy all the time..! A colleague reflected that she hadn't realised just how sexist some activists can be - and how she had been shielded from it because of where she came from. Sometimes however, we get so caught up in being robust and not looking weak that we don't realise its going on around us until we get slapped in the face by it. Without meaning to, we emulate the machismo of the organisation and I know I have had to try and step back from that on more than one occasion. It's too easy to become one of the boys, when really, we are actually better than that! It's interesting that people are lamenting the failure of the rule amendment to make one of the regional committee officers a woman. Either they really didn't understand what they were doing when they put that forward or they did it to ensure it was going down. A bit of both, I'll wager. I think I've said that deep rooted cultural change is what's needed and for that you require political will. Dipping your toe in the water in the least obviously offensive way possible will be treated with the derision it deserves. It serves both sides of the argument so well, it could only fail! Oh well.

I will have much to reflect on while I'm away. My blog, is it worthwhile? Don't know but I quite like talking to myself, so something to muse on. My family, all of them facing challneges, some more than others, but all of us with differing problems. My meeting with the TopTwo, my current patch and the challenges being faced there, reflecting on the future, my job, missing an opportunity to change pitches because I was looking the wrong way at the wrong time although that may well turn out to be the right way at the right time... and all the many, many things we (ie me and the TT) discussed that I can't tell you about...    Not to mention indulging inthe idle speculation that I referred to at the very beginning of my blog. Well, I'm only human after all!

Try not to miss me too much, although if you're VERY lucky, I may blog from holiday x


PS Title courtesy of an album my sister used to own. Dreadful music but a great title, anyone recognise it?? Prizes too fabulous to mention, if you do.

What a bloody awful fortnight!

You know when I started this I intended it to be full of little titbits about the frustrations of my union but every time I went to write something actually controversial, I kept rethinking it and chickened out. For example, the senior union person that told me I shouldn't be the officer in Openreach because I didn't have an engineering background. Erm, good enough for Virgin Media, but not BT? Hmmm. (not to mention I've never been a mechanic, or worked in a stores, or a call centre, or a shop, or a factory......). Reflections of a failed election campaign where one activist was honest enough to say I wasn't an engineer. The fact I represented engineers perfectly well didn't cut any ice at all.  Anyway it wasn't going to be personal, in a personal sense and so my blogs in the last couple of weeks have been particularly dull.


However, I'm in this now for good or for evil and as I'm really only talking to myself and doing so because I have no-one else to talk to, I might as well update you on the sorry state of my life. Self-pitying? Moi? Perish the thought!


Conference was awful. Dreadfully ill and never went anywhere all week except out with the fabulous Dave and Imelda to the pizza place next to the hotel and with my bestest colleague Nigel for a Mexican another night, all within a couple of hundred yards of the hotel.


Looking forward to a long weekend of being ill but pampered came to nought when my partner got ill at the end of conference which ended up with him being taken to hospital on Tuesday morning. Lights, sirens, the works. Scary stuff. He's still there and likely to be there for about another week. Didn't get to work Tuesday or Wednesday and had a dreadful falling out with someone who I now acknowledge is not even a colleague, never mind friend or comrade. Not that I was ever under any real illusions, but all the same.


Next week is an important week with lots of decisions to be made and here I am with another chest infection and running to the hospital twice a day. Don't mind that at all, but so tired, I can hardly blog!! Timing just could not be worse as carefully laid plans over many months now seem to be undone and I have no idea what to do. No doubt an answer will emerge.


On a lighter work front have sent my ideas for the PM campaign to communications and hope to get some mock-ups at least next week. Have only had one morning actually in the office so haven't yet actioned any of the motions other than to start the ball rolling on the campaign. Missed the exec (missed in the literal, NOT emotional sense) but am delighted to say that they did the right thing on the 'other company' elections. Much credit to Dan Andrews who worked his socks off convincing his colleagues. 


Am terribly worried about my partner and also my sister and my brother and his family for differing reasons not for sharing here. None of us having a good time at the moment but some, I always remember, much worse than the rest of us.


Did I mention we also missed Clapton at the Albert Hall, Rod Stewart at the Liberty Stadium and are going to miss Peter Kay at the O2 on Wednesday as well. To be honest I actually don't care about any of it, just hoping we can get on holiday ok on the 21st but we'll have to wait and see.


Must, must, MUST try and be a) more upbeat and b) more interesting in next blog. So many stories of sexist behaviour or just plain barminess screaming to be told!  In the meantime a real high point of the week was this morning when we met BT Fleet over my wee TUPE guy and I am delighted to say I was able to tell him to relax over the weekend. Don't have the letter yet -BTF  better not renege or else - but am very, very optimistic we have won that one.


Well campers as I am half way through my bottle of wine and the next glass is calling me from the fridge, must go. Feel better for talking to you, thanks x